Vrindavan Govind Dev Temple: Brief History and Present Condition
Yamunaji wears a placid look in the early morning sunshine, with an occasional ripple caressing her shimmering waters enchanting the soul and weaving a poetry into the crisp winter air. Birds foraging for their morning meal are seen flocking to the ghats breaking the quietude of the moment with their lively chatter. A little distance away, the chimes of the temple bells ring through the air imbuing the atmosphere with a spiritual warmth in this pilgrimage town of Vrindavan.
As a place, Braj, of which Vrindavan is a part, needs no introduction, having been etched in the devotional minds of the Hindus since great antiquity as the setting for many of Shri Krishna’s leelas. Its resilience through the ravages of medieval history when it was subjected to the fiercest of attacks by the iconoclasts is a glorious chapter in the story of Hindu resistance. During the raids of Ghazni in the 11th century CE this region saw many of its beautiful shrines destroyed and turned into rubble. This wasn’t the only tale of destruction which emanated from one of our most revered of places. The region saw repeated incursions and plunder during the rule of successive dynasties which came to occupy Delhi. But just as there are episodes of inconsolable loss, despair and massacres, there are accounts of hope, revival and abiding devotion. Among the latter, the spiritual regeneration which took place in Braj, during the 16th century CE, in the reign of Akbar, is noteworthy, as during this period Hindu art and architecture breathed relatively freely, unshackled from the invaders’ manifold encumbrances, and had its day out in the sun. Several shrines, lofty and beautiful, came into being during this phase due to the unceasing efforts of the people who came from near and far to patronise the renewed religious fervour in Braj.
Among several temples, which were built during this time, the Govind Dev temple is an exceptional specimen of Hindu architecture and art. As per tradition, the site on which the present Govind Dev temple stands is the same place where Shri Krishna’s great grandson, Vajranabh, many millennia ago, had constructed a temple for the worship of Krishna in His ‘Govind’ form. Besides this temple, he built and installed a number of other pratimas on the various ‘roopas’ of Shri Krishna. Due to the vagaries of time all of these shrines were gradually lost, without a trace, but their evocative hold on the traditional beliefs of the people kept the cultural memory, connected with these places, forever alive, with the devoted always yearning for a revival of these lost shrines in their hearts. The story of how the Govind Dev shrine, as we see today, was built, has been recounted by F. S. Growse in his work ‘Mathura A District Memoir’ and goes thus
“On their arrival at Brindá-ban, the first shrine which the Gosáins erected was one in honour of the eponymous goddess Brinda Devi. Of this no traces now remain if (as some say) it stood in the Seva Kunj, which is now a huge walled garden with a masonry tank near the Rás Mandala. Their fame spread so rapidly that in 1573 the Emperor Akbar was induced to pay them a visit, and was taken blindfold into the sacred enclosure of the Nidhban where such a marvellous vision was revealed to him, that he was fain to acknowledge the place as indeed holy ground. Hence the cordial support which he gave to the attendant Rájás, when they expressed their wish to erect a series of buildings more worthy of the local divinity.”
Writing in his memoir in the late nineteenth century, Growse describes in vivid detail the deplorable condition of the shrines built in the earlier centuries, and shares his lament in these words “The four temples, commenced in honour of this event, still remain, although in a ruinous and hitherto in a sadly neglected condition. They bear the titles of Govind Deva, Gopi-náth, Jugal Kishor and Madan Mohan. The first named is not only the finest of this particular series, but is the most impressive religious edifice that Hindu art has ever produced at least in upper India.”
From a heavily damaged inscription in Sanskrit which was found at the west end of the mandapa of the temple under one of the niches we learn that the temple of Govind Dev was built in 1590 CE under the directions of Rúpa and Sanátana Goswamis, the followers of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. In another inscription found on the north west of the temple several other names were found in connection with the construction of the shrine. The inscription reads
“In the 34th year of the era inaugurated by the reign of the Emperor Akbar, Sri Maháráj Mán Sinh Deva, son of Maháràj Bhagaván Dás, of the family of Prithiraj, founded, at the holy station of Brindá-ban, this temple of Govind Deva. The head of the works, Kalyán Dás, the Assistant Superintendent, Mánik Chand Chopár, the architect, Gobind Dás of Delhi, the mason, Gorakh Dás”
Growse, in his memoir, writes that the magnificence of the Govind Dev temple which was conceived in red sandstone could well be gauged from the splendid architecture of the Saas-Bahu temple situated within the walls of the Gwalior fort. The Saas-Bahu temple which was built several centuries prior to the Govind Dev temple, in general plan and design, closely resembles the Govind Dev temple, and may have served as an inspiration for Mán Singh when he sought to contribute along with others in the revival of the glory of Vrindavan by initiating the construction of shrines in the region. The Saas-Bahu temple follows the central cluster model of temple architecture which can also be seen in other shrines as Devi Jagadamba temple, Khajuraho. When Aurangzeb came to occupy the Mughal throne, he unleashed, among many of his iconoclastic strikes, a raid on Braj. One of the victims of his barbarism, during this devastating hour was the Govind Dev temple of Vrindavan. In his book, titled History of Indian and Eastern Architecture, subsequently revised with additions by James Burgess, James Fergusson writes that “as is related, the sikhara of it was thrown down by Aurangzib, who is said to have also erected an ‘Ibádat-gah, or place for Muslim prayer, on the roof”. After the destruction of the garbhagrha, the antarala of the temple was turned into the main shrine by the local people for purposes of worship. The original pratima which had once graced the Govind Deva temple was shifted to Jaipur in anticipation of Aurangzeb’s attack and has stayed there ever since
Fergusson in his book on Indian architecture referred to the layout of the temple as being “in the form of a Greek cross”. However such mandapa designs have been part of Hindu architecture since centuries as seen in the layout of the Saas-Bahu temple.
In its original form, the Govind Dev temple is said to have had five shikharas which covered the garbhagrha, the twin cellas on either side of the garbhagrha, the antarala and the mandapa. The garbhagrha of the temple was rebuilt in the year 1854 with bricks, and a murti of Krishna in the form of Giridhari was installed inside it. Since the calamitous day of Aurangzeb’s attack on the shrine and till its inspection and subsequent restoration, even if partial, by Growse, no effort by way of preservation had been undertaken at the site rather it was allowed to become a convenient quarry for the builders and contractors working in the neighbourhood. With vegetation having taken over the structure, the very foundations of the temple stood threatened. After an appeal by Growse, and as per due process, the Government of India informed the then Maharaja of Jaipur, the representative of the founder of the temple, of the catastrophic fate which the shrine faced in the absence of repairs. A sum of Rs. 5000 was sanctioned by the Jaipur House in tune with the estimates shared for essential repairs. One of the first tasks undertaken towards the restoration of the shrine was to demolish the ugly wall which had been erected during the time of Aurangzeb on the roof of the antarala. Subsequent works involved removal of the debris which had reached such proportions as to conceal the beautifully moulded plinth, removal of the ‘unsightly party walls’ which had been erected inside the antarala, removal of a number of houses which had encroached upon the shrine space besides creation of two additional passages leading to the temple.
The cost of these works exceeded the sum granted by the Jaipur royals, but as luck would have it, a certain John Strachey came to occupy an important post in the Government of the Provinces. He not only showed a keen interest in the restoration of the temple, but also allocated a generous amount from the public funds for the ongoing works. A more comprehensive repair and preservation effort was launched after the fresh grant of funds and the temple was saved from the brink of collapse. Fergusson in his book on Indian temple architecture writes about this temple “as one of the most interesting and elegant in India, and the only one, perhaps, from which a European architect may borrow a few hints.”
As this temple, after India’s independence in 1947, continued to be under the protection of the Archaeological Survey of India, its maintenance and care have been the responsibility of the said institution. Over the years, as we learn from the Indian Archaeology Reviews, the ASI has carried out intermittent works at the site, but these endeavours have not been sufficient in strengthening the temple edifice. As is evident from the various news reports which elaborate on its dilapidated condition, the falling temple stones and damage to the intricate and beautiful artwork has only become routine in the absence of foolproof restoration of the shrine by the ASI. The number of visitors to the temple has also registered a decline due to the perilous state of the temple. Besides the ramshackle condition of the shrine, there’s a threat to the complex from rampant encroachment. In one of the news reports, it was highlighted, how due to timely action by conscientious citizens, authorities were able to successfully stop the construction of a commercial complex in close proximity of the temple. For more information on the present day structural condition of the temple do refer to the news links shared under ‘References’.
Govind Dev temple is a valuable piece of heritage for Hindus who have been relentlessly fighting threats to their beliefs and shrines since centuries. Apart from being a symbol of continued resilience and triumph of faith, this temple is an unparalleled architectural marvel which even in its disfigured form is one of the jewels in the cultural landscape of Vrindavan. Losing this manifestation of beauty and beliefs will not only be detrimental to the morale of Hindu preservationists, but will mark a further erosion of Hindu heritage, if urgency in its restoration is not shown by the governments of the day.
References:
- https://www.jagran.com/spiritual/religion-temple-began-breaking-stones-10910197.html
- https://www.amarujala.com/uttar-pradesh/agra/ancient-govind-dev-temple-vrindavan-news-agr4729190142
- https://www.amarujala.com/uttar-pradesh/mathura/govind-dev-mandir-constraction-comercial-complax-vrindavan-mathura-news-agr4484673126
- https://www.amarujala.com/uttar-pradesh/mathura/govind-dev-mandir-mathura-vrindavan-mathura-news-agr4276291197
- http://asiconservationportal.nic.in/public-dashboard/view-work-estimation/3347
- https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.32120/page/n311/mode/1up?q=Vrindavan
- https://archive.org/stream/b28711270_0002#page/157/mode/1up
